nature, Photography

Patricia Lake

32 Comments

After a drive from Fort St. John, we arrived at Jasper National Park’s Patricia Lake where we would stay at Patricia Lake Bungalows for the following three days.

It was a good day but also a long one, so it was wonderful to be welcomed by these attractive scenes.

We found it to be an extremely relaxing, lovely place to stay …

… and we enjoyed every moment we could with this stunningly gorgeous, glacially green-tinted lake.

Many thanks to Allan (https://10yearsin0.wordpress.com) who first blogged about his stays there.

32 thoughts on “Patricia Lake”

    1. Patricia escaped last summer’s fires but other parts of Jasper were completely destroyed. Edith Cavell isn’t open as the access is still being cleared of burned trees and there are some other areas that are also still closed here and there because of unstable and dangerous conditions.

      There are signs of recovery though. I spotted some very, very tiny pine and spruce seedlings and grasses and bushes are rapidly coming back, too. The deer and elk are grazing among the burned and fallen trees; they can more easily see the predators! The park is treating the fire as part of the learning experience – as it should. We were surprised at the number of visitors hiking the cleared trails through the burned forests but I also overheard a visitor complaining about how much money he had spent to come look at dead trees.

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      1. While this fire might potentially have been more intense than was strictly natural (due to years of fire suppression), it will still be interesting to see which species increase and decrease in reaction to it. I can imagine it’s provided a lot of nutritious new growth for the herbivores, just like the grassland fires do in Sask.

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        1. Climate change together with years of fire suppression really lead to a perfect forest fire scenario. Apparently three lightening strikes, a human ignited grass fire and some wind after months of drought and a spring with very high temperatures lead to them coalescing into a monster.

          Jasper had good snow cover and lots of spring rain so there are lots of grasses and small bushes growing and the herbivores are loving it. I don’t know if you’re aware but northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba (Alberta and northeastern B.C. too) are being hit right now with very serious forest fires.

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  2. Thanks for bringing this place and Jasper into the light Lynette. As to paying money to look at dead trees, if you are only trying to hike the popular trails (Old Fort Point, Valley of the 5 Lakes, etc.), you are going to be either heartbroken or disappointed. We hiked close to Patricia Lake Resort on all 3 days there recently (Hochimini and Water Tower wildland trails and Pyramid Overlook). These trails were unaffected by the recent fire. People can also drive to Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake for other hikes unaffected by the recent wildfire. We have hiked Old Fort Point twice after the fire and it is indeed a numbing vista, but also one filled with hope, as my upcoming posts will show. Many folks do not understand what wildfires are all about. They are unfortunately part of a natural process for forest renewal. There are only problems when humans are in the way. I imagine the burned areas will soon be covered with new green growth and in time pink fireweed.

    As to the good folks of Jasper, they all need our support right now as they are most affected by the fire. We have done our best to spend some money in the park and town, so it will continue to be there when we feel the need for mountain views.

    Allan

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    1. You’re very welcome, Allan. I agree that there are many areas that weren’t affected by the fire at all. We also hiked Pyramid and Maligne and near Patricia Lake, too. They weren’t at all hard to find!

      I also agree that this is a part of the normal forest life cycle. The only difference I can tell according to what I’ve read about it is that it was accelerated by climate change and Jasper was probably not due for this size and degree of fire for another few years. Given that a firefighter was lost and all the other issues related to climate change, I think that’s the (much) bigger issue.

      The people of Jasper do need our support and we were happy to provide some. By the way, we enjoyed lunch at Somewhere Else. Cheers.

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      1. Agreed on all counts. When we saw the Mountain Pine Beetle devastation starting 20 years ago, we all knew it was only a matter of time. All those who say why don’t they just clean up all the dead trees do not fully understand how big this forest is, what that would entail and then comes the question….where do you put them. Winters are warmer and shorter, summers are longer, drier and hotter, even in a La Niña year. Whether we can agree that the climate change is accelerated by humans or not, the climate is changing while we argue and doing nothing is no longer an option. Jasper has always been there for us and we will always be there for them too. Cheers. Allan

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        1. I think that climate change is natural but that this natural cycle has been accelerated by human activity. But you’re right, at this point it doesn’t matter any more; doing nothing is no longer an option. Now however we’re faced with that excuse for a human being to the south of us who will do or say literally anything to get attention and from whom we have to protect ourselves, including resorting to more oil usage. I keep wondering where our beautiful country fits into that. Ugh.

          Have a good weekend, Allan.

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    1. Yes, it’s definitely on the mend, a process that will take a few years before much of the fire damage is overgrown or has been reabsorbed by the forest. Yes, the deer, elk and moose are enjoying the new greenery among the burned trees and now definitely have an advantage when it comes to spotting predators!

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  7. Looks like you had beautiful weather when you arrived in Jasper. Beautiful pictures of the mountainous scenery and sparkly turquoise lakes. Glad to see all was not lost during the wildfires. P.S. Allan sure knows how to pick some great spots to stay! We stayed in a few places he talked about in his New Zealand posts and they did not disappoint.

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    1. We had two great weather days and one that was a bit chilly. Many areas of Jasper escaped the fire and the trails in the burned areas are being the-opened, too. All the ungulates love those areas now because of all the new grasses and they can easily spot predators, too. It’s fantastic how we bloggers can pass on information like that! It’s lovely that you stayed in some of the same places and yes, we really enjoyed PLB, too. Cheers.

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        1. It is, Linda and definitely worth it. They are very comfortable and well equipped with everything you would need, especially with a little one and of course, the hiking and scenery are stunning. Patricia Lake and next door Pyramid Lake escaped the fire.

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  10. Whenever I see your blog and the photos, I am a little envious of how much time you get to spend in the mountains and travelling, but at least you bring your camera along to share the views. Thank you, and I appreciate it.

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    1. Thank you very much for your lovely comment, anonymouschanges. I retired 18 months ago and, as a blog-friend says, got the best promotion I ever worked for. My time is pretty much my own these days for the first time in a very long while! I tried to look up your blog but it is no longer available?

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      1. Hi! Maybe that is why you have so much time to travel around the mountains, that is wonderful to hear about your retirement. Yes, i was blogging for a bit, but I should probably try to get back into it. My blog was different, I was sharing about…my mental health and about my life. I also like taking photos they’re not so especially spectacular or anything. Thanks for responding to my comment, and keep going with your blogging and the beautiful photos.

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